RECALL PICTURES
In the previous chapter, we provided you with test strategies to handle questions that test your ability to remember what you read. In this chapter, you will learn to handle questions that test your ability to remember what you see.
In this question type, you are given a picture or sketch, or some other non-written material; and you are permitted to study it for a specified time period, usually 5 minutes. You are then asked a series of questions based on what you observed. You are not permitted to make notes while studying the material, and you cannot refer to it when answering the question. (At the test, in fact, the pictorial material is collected before the questions are started.)
STRATEGIES FOR RECALLING PICTORIAL DETAILS
The picture you are given to study is never very complicated. Therefore, all you need to become proficient at answering these questions based on the picture is a strategy, concentration, and practice. The concentration must develop. The practice can be done every time you look at a picture. The strategy is as follows:
1.USE A STANDARDIZED METHOD OF STUDYING THE PICTORIAL MATERIAL. The best way to study pictorial material is by looking at it in an organized manner. You cannot stare at it with the mistaken idea that your mind is recording all the details. For example, if you are studying a street scene, start at one corner of the scene and go through the entire scene until you return to the starting point. Time permitting, you should start at the same corner of the scene and go through it again and again until the allotted time expires. You must be methodical, and you must practice your method.
2.FOLLOW THE CONTRAST RULE. When you are studying a memory picture, you can often predict which person, place, or thing in the picture you will be asked about by using the Contrast Rule. This rule simply states that you will be asked about contrasting differences rather than similarities. The Contrast Rule comes into play mostly when the pictorial material displays a street scene, but it can be helpful regardless of the subject matter of the pictorial material.
Examples
■If everyone in a picture is standing or walking and one person is running, you will probably be asked about the person who is running.
■If everyone in a picture is dressed in light-colored clothing and one person is wearing black clothes, you will probably be asked about the person who is in black clothes.
■If there is only one group of three people among many people in the picture, you will probably be asked a question about the group of three people.
3.FOLLOW THE CLUTTER RULE. When you are studying a memory picture, if a scene is cluttered with similar things, then you probably won’t be asked about those things. For example, if a scene is cluttered with addresses, then you probably won’t be asked about addresses; or, if the memory scene is cluttered with people, don’t bother to count them since you will not be asked how many there are. Our experience has been that the total number of people in a scene is not usually asked if that total exceeds nine people.
4.ANSWER BASIC QUESTIONS. You should start your observation of the picture by answering these questions:
When?
■Is there any indication in the picture of when it was taken?
■Is there a clock anywhere?
■Is there a calendar with a date on it?
■Is it day or night?
Where?
■Is there any indication in the picture of where it was taken?
■Is it indoors or outdoors?
■Is there a street sign or an address?
■What is the placement of items in relation to one another? (This is a key item. For example, if there is a gun in the picture, what other object is near it?)
Who?
If there are people in the picture, you will be asked questions about them, such as:
■What do they look like?
■What are they wearing?
■Is there anything unusual about any of them?
■What items are placed near the person or persons? (This is a key item because the examiners almost have to refer to the people in the picture in relation to what they are near. For example, if you see a picture with two people and one is standing near a fire hydrant, while the other is close to a double-parked car, the examiner might ask you what the person was wearing who was standing by the fire hydrant.)
What?
■What is happening in the picture?
■Is there a crime in progress?
■Has someone been injured?
■Is there some other emergency?
Why?
■Is there anything unusual in the picture? (For example, if a door is open, ask yourself why; if someone is running, ask yourself why.)
PICTORIAL QUESTION STRATEGIES
Standardize your study method.
Follow the contrast and clutter rules.
Answer basic questions.
Observe all readable matter.
Look for oddities.
Count repeated objects.
Use associations.
Concentrate.
Write down your observations.
5.OBSERVE ALL READABLE MATTER. If there is information in the picture that can be read, then you can be sure that you will be asked about it. Therefore, look for these most common “readables”:
■Clocks
■Street signs
■Addresses
■Store signs
■Automobile license plates
6.SEARCH FOR ODDITIES. The following are some of the unusual things to look for:
■Is a door open when it should not be?
■Is a window broken?
■Is a gun or other weapon placed anywhere in the picture?
■Is something out of place in a scene, such as a chair placed on a bed, a car on a sidewalk?
7.COUNT ALL SIMILAR OBJECTS. Make a quick count of common objects in the scene, such as cars, people, animals, weapons, and bicycles, unless the scene is cluttered with such objects as discussed in Step 3.
8.USE ASSOCIATIONS TO REMEMBER. In the last chapter we spoke a great deal about the use of associations to help you remember things. This applies equally to the questions covered in this chapter. Don’t rely exclusively on rote memory to remember all of the items in the picture. Develop associations!
9.DO NOT STOP STUDYING THE MATERIAL UNTIL THE ALLOTTED TIME EXPIRES. If you go through Steps 2 through 7 once and time remains, repeat these steps in the same order and in the same organized manner. Continue studying the material in this way until the allotted time expires.
10.DON’T STOP CONCENTRATING WHEN THE BOOKLETS ARE COLLECTED. The time between the closing of the memory booklets and the answering of the questions is the most critical time of all. It is imperative that you maintain your concentration during this time. This is the time when most inexperienced test takers forget what they observed.
11.WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING YOU RECALL FROM THE STORY AS SOON AS YOU ARE PERMITTED. After the memory booklet is collected, there will be a delay before you are permitted to open the actual test booklets and begin taking the examination. Be sure you continue to concentrate. However, once the signal is given to begin the examination, write on your test booklet all that you can remember from the picture. Write the information in the same order that you followed when first observing the picture. You are then ready to do the questions.
Following are three groups of questions with ten questions in each group. When taking these questions, do not refer to the pictorial material once the allotted time of 5 minutes has elapsed. Remember that the time limit relates only to looking at the material and not to answering the questions. The questions are to be answered within the 3½ hours usually allowed for the completion of the test. However, be guided by the general rule to allot 1½ minutes to answer each question, and never more than 2 minutes.
NOTE: Remember that in the actual examination, the written material will be collected. (The memory questions will probably be the first on the examination.)
Group One
20 Minute Time Limit
Directions: Questions 1 through 10 are based solely on the following picture. You are to study this picture for 5 minutes and commit to memory as much about it as you can. You are not allowed to make written notes during the 5 minutes you are studying the picture. At the end of 5 minutes you are to stop looking at the picture, and answer the questions without referring to it.
MEMORY PICTURE—5 MINUTE TIME LIMIT
DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL 5 MINUTES HAVE ELAPSED
QUESTIONS—15 MINUTE TIME LIMIT
1.How many television sets are in the scene?
(A)None
(B)One
(C)Two
(D)Three
2.What time is shown on the clock when the picture was taken?
(A)12:47 P.M.
(B)9:05 P.M.
(C)Either 12:47 A.M. or 12:47 P.M.
(D)There was no clock.
3.The female on the couch is wearing
(A)a dress.
(B)slacks.
(C)a bathrobe.
(D)shorts.
4.The musical instrument in the picture is
(A)a guitar, and it is next to a television.
(B)a flute, and it is on the table.
(C)a guitar, and it is next to the couch.
(D)a flute, and it is lying on the floor.
5.What is the female on the couch holding in her left hand?
(A)A knife
(B)A gun
(C)A meat cleaver
(D)Nothing
6.Where is the lamp?
(A)On the table
(B)On the couch
(C)On the floor
(D)There is no lamp.
7.Where is the meat cleaver?
(A)On the floor
(B)On the table
(C)On the couch
(D)There is no meat cleaver.
8.What is on the table right next to the ashtray?
(A)A bottle
(B)A gun
(C)A knife
(D)Nothing
9.How many bottles are in the picture?
(A)None
(B)One
(C)Two
(D)Four
10.Where is the fan?
(A)In the window
(B)On the floor
(C)On a table
(D)There is no fan.
Group Two
20 Minute Time Limit
Directions: Questions 11 through 20 are based solely on the following picture. You are to study this picture for 5 minutes and commit to memory as much about it as you can. You are not allowed to make written notes during the 5 minutes you are studying the picture. At the end of 5 minutes you are to stop looking at the picture, and answer the questions without referring to it.
MEMORY PICTURE—5 MINUTE TIME LIMIT
DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL 5 MINUTES HAVE ELAPSED
QUESTIONS—15 MINUTE TIME LIMIT
11.The garbage can in the scene is
(A)in the street.
(B)uncovered.
(C)filled with refuse.
(D)There is no garbage can.
12.What is the address of the house in the picture?
(A)23-57
(B)57-23
(C)27-53
(D)52-27
13.The female is wearing
(A)a hat.
(B)slacks.
(C)a dress.
(D)shorts.
14.The storm door of the house is
(A)open.
(B)closed.
(C)broken.
(D)There is no storm door.
15.How many garbage can tops are lying on the sidewalk?
(A)None
(B)One
(C)Two
(D)Three
16.The female is
(A)wearing gloves.
(B)wearing a sweater.
(C)carrying a pocketbook.
(D)carrying a shopping bag.
17.Where is the baseball bat?
(A)Lying in the street
(B)Leaning against the house
(C)Leaning against a car
(D)There is no baseball bat.
18.The car in the driveway
(A)has a flat tire.
(B)is a station wagon.
(C)has a shoe on its roof.
(D)has its front end pointing towards the street.
19.Where is the golf club?
(A)Leaning against the lamppost
(B)Leaning against a car
(C)Leaning against the house
(D)Leaning against the refuse container
20.How many cars are in the picture?
(A)None
(B)One
(C)Two
(D)Three
Group Three
20 Minute Time Limit
Directions: Questions 21 through 30 are based solely on the following picture. You are to study this picture for 5 minutes and commit to memory as much about it as you can. You are not allowed to make written notes during the 5 minutes you are studying the picture. At the end of 5 minutes you are to stop looking at the picture, and answer the questions without referring to it.
MEMORY PICTURE—5 MINUTE TIME LIMIT
DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL 5 MINUTES HAVE ELAPSED
QUESTIONS—15 MINUTE TIME LIMIT
21.How many people are in the street scene?
(A)Three
(B)Five
(C)Six
(D)Four
22.What is leaning against the mailbox?
(A)A ladder
(B)A golf bag
(C)A bicycle
(D)A garden hose
23.What is the speed limit on the dead end street?
(A)20 mph
(B)10 mph
(C)15 mph
(D)5 mph
24.What vehicles are subject to being towed away at their owner’s expense?
(A)Illegally parked vehicles
(B)Stolen vehicles
(C)Unauthorized vehicles
(D)Abandoned vehicles
25.What is written on the back of the person closest to the bicycle?
(A)FBI
(B)DEA
(C)NYPD
(D)POLICE
26.Where is the ladder in the scene?
(A)On the sidewalk next to the mailbox
(B)On the lawn under an apartment window
(C)In the roadway next to the vehicle
(D)On the stoop by the open door
27.What is the license plate number on the vehicle parked by the dead end sign?
(A)ODU-U78
(B)U78-ODU
(C)O78-UDU
(D)78U-DUO
28.What is written on the coat of the apparent crime victim?
(A)Peace
(B)Yankees
(C)FBI
(D)Lombard
29.What weapon is being brandished in the apparent crime attempt?
(A)A rifle
(B)A handgun
(C)A shotgun
(D)A knife
30.What is the perpetrator of the apparent crime wearing?
(A)A baseball hat
(B)A Yankee jacket
(C)A ski mask
(D)A full-length raincoat